After four years, housing developer Delfin Lee was released from prison on September 20 after posting bail.
He was able to post bail after his syndicated estafa case was downgraded to simple estafa by the Supreme Court.
Lee admitted that for the first two months of his imprisonment, he was angry why he was put behind bars when all he did was develop low-cost housing projects and communities.
“No’ng una, no’ng nakakulong ako, galit ako. Bakit ginawa ‘to sa akin. But overtime, four years and a half, you mellow down,” he said during a press conference on Monday at the Xevera Mabalacat City Hall.
While detained at the Pampanga Provincial Jail, Lee witnessed first-hand how drugs destroyed the lives of inmates and of their families.
“I’m telling you, nandyan ako sa prison for four and a half years, tama si Presidente Duterte, ‘yong droga ang sisira sa bayan natin,” he said.
Lee said about 90 percent of the inmates at the provincial jail have drug-related cases.
He admitted supporting some of the families of his inmates because he pitied their children. He added that some inmates would even save their rations so they could send it to their families back home.
Now that he is out of jail, Lee said he would fully support President Duterte’s programs against drug abuse.
He has asked homeowners officials to never allow drugs to enter their communities because it could ruin lives especially the youth.
“If we know somebody selling drugs, we cannot just keep quiet. This is our problem, not just of the president,” Lee said.
Lee has also helped put up a cooperative for the inmates and a bakery. He said the bakery is a good training ground for the inmates to learn livelihood skills that they can use once they get out of prison.
Now that he is out of jail, Lee said “it’s time we start rebuilding, it’s time we move on.” He said he is willing to sit down with Pag-ibig officials to settle issues affecting Xevera homeowners.